Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

 Book 59 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from July 27 - August 13

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

published 2025

Summary (via the book jacket)

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, frightened, and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There's Rose, a hippie who insists she's going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician, who plans to marry her baby's father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute, and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they're allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by the adults who claim they know what's best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it's never given freely. There's always a price to be paid...and it's usually paid in blood. 

My Opinion

2 stars

When I was reading the acknowledgments at the end of the book (yes I read cover to cover), the author mentioned the first two drafts of this book didn't have witches at all.  When I read that, something clicked for me because part of the reason I didn't enjoy this book was because it felt like different books mushed together.  Based on the title, description, and what I've read from the author in the past, I kept waiting for the witchcraft from the beginning but it was over 100 pages before anything happened.  Then it seemed like the middle raced by and a million things happened and it felt like everything but the kitchen sink was thrown at the plot.  Then the ending happened which was nice and wrapped things up but also felt disjointed and out of place.

Overall, I would've read a book about homes for unwed mothers and I would've read a book about witches and I think there was potential to marry the two together by the author but it wasn't fully achieved in this book.

Fahrenheit-182

 Book 58 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from July 27 - August 5

Fahrenheit-182 by Mark Hoppus

published 2025

My Opinion

5 stars

Fahrenheit-182 is a memoir by Mark Hoppus, best known for co-founding blink-182.  This was a surprising 5 star read for me; I knew I was enjoying it but the roller coaster of emotions and his writing sucked me in and I found myself tearing up by the end.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how well he writes based on his lyrics but this was well-written and interesting.

To ground someone reading this review, I was in college in the late '90's so I could probably sing along to most of blink's hits.  If they pop up on the radio I'll turn it up but I don't seek them out to listen to.  My husband is more of a fan and by coincidence was wearing a blink shirt when I finished this book on a drive to Chicago.  Then we checked into our hotel and the clerk saw his shirt and started talking about how much he liked blink and how they led him to discover other bands.

Anyway...lots of turmoil, stories that someone can look back and laugh at now knowing how it all turned out, stories that make good anecdotes but would've been annoying to witness (such as all the pranks), stories with heart, and just enough "tea" on the breaks the band took to maintain authenticity without fulling shitting on anyone.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

 Book 57 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from July 28 - August 1

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

published 2014

Summary (via the book jacket)

Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin Doughty took a job at a crematory and turned a fascination with death into her life's work. She cared for bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, and became an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. In this best-selling memoir, brimming with gallows humor and vivid characters, she marvels at the gruesome history of undertaking and relates her unique coming-of-age story with bold curiosity and mordant wit. 

My Opinion

4 stars

This is a book I've owned for awhile and in my quest to read what I own and purge my shelves, I'm glad I finally read this and know it will find more readers when I move it out of the house. 

Sifting through an urn of cremated remains you cannot tell if a person had successes, failures, grandchildren, felonies.  "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."  As an adult human, your dust is the same as my dust, four to seven pounds of grayish ash and bone.

I feel like I've heard of this author before, probably through her Internet stuff, but have never actually read her before.  I'm surprised it's called a memoir because it's pretty much about her job with a few personal asides thrown in here and there.  I enjoyed the book because the job is what I was interested in but I wouldn't consider it a memoir or her life story.

Something about the lines, "In many ways, women are death's natural companions.  Every time a woman gives birth, she is creating not only a life, but also a death." really struck me as beautiful and poignant.

Reading something written in 2014 warning about the potential shortage of physicians and caretakers in 2020 reminded me of a math problem with multiple paths to the same answer.  Yes, there were shortages in 2020 and beyond but no, the main reason wasn't what they were concerned about in 2014 (an increase in the aging population). 

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There

 Book 56 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read on July 25

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There

by Eric LaRocca

published 2023

Summary (via the book jacket)

Eight stories of dark fiction from a master storyteller. Exploring the shadow side of love, these are tales of grief, obsession, control, intricate examinations of trauma and tragedy in raw, poetic prose. 

A woman imagines horrific scenarios while caring for her infant niece; on-line posts chronicle a cancer diagnosis; a couple in the park with their small child encounter a stranger with horrific consequences; a toxic relationship reaches a terrifying resolution...

My Opinion

4 stars

I asked for and received this book for Christmas after seeing it in a Barnes & Noble display last Halloween.

The book was small but the visceral reactions the author generated were large.  This content isn't for everyone but I think a reader can tell fairly quickly if they'll like it or not.  

I winced many times but it also didn't feel like the author was trying to write something shocking just to do it.  Each story had a message, even if the message was that people are awful and sadistic sometimes.

A Forty Year Kiss

Book 55 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from July 17 - 24

A Forty Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler

published 2025

Summary (via the book jacket)

Charlie and Vivian parted ways after just four years of marriage. Too many problems, too many struggles, even though the love didn't quite die. When Charlie returns to Wisconsin forty years later, he's not sure what he'll find. He is sure of one thing - he must try to reconnect with Vivian to pick up the broken pieces of their past. But forty years is a long time. It's forty years of other relationships, forty years of building new lives, and forty years of long-held regrets, mistakes, and painful secrets.

My Opinion

3 stars

I attended a reading and got my book signed by the author in Ames, Iowa earlier this year.  The book itself is really pretty with the pink/purple gradient along the outside of the pages.

This is the second book I've read by this author (Shotgun Lovesongs was a 5 star read for me) and I really like his writing style and character development.  The main reason I gave it 3 stars is because the major surprise of the book is a pretty big thing and I can't believe there wasn't at least a moment of discomfort between the characters after the discovery.

The Undertaker's Daughter

 Book 54 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from July 17 - 21

The Undertaker's Daughter by Kate Mayfield

published 2015

Summary (via Goodreads)

After Kate Mayfield was born, she was taken directly to a funeral home. Her father was an undertaker, and for thirteen years the family resided in a place nearly synonymous with death. A place where the living and the dead entered their house like a vapor. The place where Kate would spend the entirety of her childhood. In a memoir that reads like a Harper Lee novel, Mayfield draws the reader into a world of Southern mystique and ghosts.

Kate's father set up shop in a small town where he was one of two white morticians during the turbulent 1960s. Jubilee, Kentucky, was a segregated, god-fearing community where no one kept secrets, except the ones they were buried with. By opening a funeral home, Kate's father also opened the door to family feuds, fetishes, and victims of accidents, murder, and suicide. The family saw it all. They also saw the quiet ruin of Kate's father, who hid alcoholism and infidelity behind a cool, charismatic exterior. As Mayfield grows from trusting child to rebellious teen, she begins to find the enforced hush of the funeral home oppressive, and longs for the day she can escape the confines of her small town.

My Opinion

4 stars

This was a high 4 for me.  The author's writing pulled me in effortlessly.  It almost read like a fiction story because of the characters in town and the author's unique lived experiences.

The author's rough descriptions of her sister Evelyn from the very beginning caught me off guard and even though their fractured relationship was explained later, I still think the comments specifically about her appearance and laziness felt out of place. 

A Grandmother Begins the Story

 Book 53 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from July 4 - 17

A Grandmother Begins the Story

by Michelle Porter

published 2023

Summary (via the book jacket)

Carter is a young mother on a quest to find the true meaning of her heritage, which she only learned of in her teens. Allie is trying to make up for those lost years with her first-born and to protect Carter from the hurt she herself suffered from her own mother. Lucie wants the granddaughter she've never met to help her get to her ancestors in the afterlife. And Genevieve is determined to conquer her demons - before the fire inside burns her up - with the help of the sister she lost but has never been without. Meanwhile, Mame, in the afterlife, knows that all their stories began with her; she must find a way to cut herself from the last threads that keep her tethered to the living, just as they must find their own paths forward. And a young bison wants to understand why he keeps being over and whether he should make a break for it and run for his life.

My Opinion

4 stars

This book caught my eye at a bookstore.  I didn't buy it but noted the title to check out from the library.  I very rarely buy new books and am trying to reduce my buying in general so this is a fairly regular thing for me to do.

The length of time between the date I started and the date I finished isn't a true reflection of how I read this.  I started it, realized I needed to be in a focused mindset to continue, had that time yesterday, and finished it in one sitting.  Even with the gap in between I didn't struggle with the multiple viewpoints which is amazing because there was a lot of switching.  There were multiple characters, human and animal and even grass.

I'm sure there were things I didn't catch on a deeper level but I enjoyed the journey.  I didn't want to book to be longer but I did continue thinking about the characters after I finished.

Box Office Poison

 Book 52 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from July 6 - 15

Box Office Poison: Hollywood's Story in a Century of Flops

by Tim Robey

published 2024

My Opinion

2 stars

I checked this out from the library after seeing it in Bookpage.  

Although there were some interesting tidbits here and there, the majority of the book read like a book report of stats.  There were also multiple footnotes per page, sometimes even per sentence, and it really interrupted the flow.  Most of the footnotes could've been incorporated into the text with a little more effort in the structure and some of the footnotes should've been left out completely and included in the index.  For just one example, the movie Meet Joe Black was referenced in passing in 2 different chapters and there was a footnote both times; one footnote was "see also p. 172" and the other was "see also p. 209".  That isn't necessary; either the reader will remember the connection or they won't, it really didn't matter (and if the author felt like it did, explain why and make the connection in the actual text, not by a footnote that says nothing other than the movie is mentioned more than once).

Lorne

 Book 51 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from May 4 - July 6

Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live

by Susan Morrison

published 2025

My Opinion

3 stars

The lore and longevity of Saturday Night Live is one of my niche topics of interest and the book Live From New York by James Andres Miller and Tom Shales is one of my favorite "behind-the-scenes" books.  So when I saw this book while browsing at the library I immediately grabbed it, thinking I would love it.  I didn't love it.

Issue 1 (personally mine): turns out I'm not as interested in the man behind SNL as I am in the show itself.  

Issue 2 (not personally mine): now that I've read 644 pages, I'm still not sure I can say much about Lorne Michaels other than what was already known.  There was dishy information in the book which made me feel like the author had access but upon reflection, the dishy information was always about other people, and was usually given by someone in Lorne's orbit, not he himself saying it.  So it felt deceptively "real" when it was mostly superficial.

It was interesting but not overly informative.

Split Second

 Book 50 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from June 16 - 27

Split Second by Kasie West

published 2014

Summary (via the book jacket)

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can't believe this is the future she chose.

When Addie's dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He's a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie's memories...once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don't want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school - but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot...and a future that could change everything.

My Opinion

4 stars

The second half of this book massively exceeded expectations!  I wasn't in love with the first book but had enough interest to read this one immediately after, especially since it was presented as more of a 'tandom reading' than 'sequel'.  The first half of the book took me days to read and I wasn't fully invested but then some sort of switch happened and I was surprised by everything that happened.

There was still some eye-rolling 'teens professing love quickly' but I think I'm just old and jaded.

Wintering

 Book 49 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from June 16 - 24

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

by Katherine May

published 2020

Summary (via Goodreads)

Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered.

A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May’s story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas.

Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season.

My Opinion

2 stars

I checked this out from the library after seeing it in Bookpage.  I'm disappointed because the title and concept seemed like such a good one.  As I started to read, I realize it wasn't global clinical information mixed with personal narrative.  That was my misunderstanding but I adjusted and continued reading.  But the personal narrative wasn't really there either.  For example, she starts with an illness of her husband's but by the end, I'm not even sure they're still together (he's no longer mentioned and isn't thanked in her acknowledgements).  If that's the case, wouldn't that be a major example of a difficult time to winter through?  The reader isn't owed more than the author feels comfortable sharing but also...if the author is choosing to write a book about difficult times and personal struggles of her husband, son, and herself, wouldn't some sort of conclusion about wintering and if it was effective would be a reasonable expectation?  I think so.

There were threads of concepts there but nothing fully formed I felt I could grab onto.

When My Husband Ran for President...

 Book 48 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from June 16 - 23

When My Husband Ran For President...and Other Short Stories

by Ruth Harkin

published 2024

Summary (via the book jacket)

Mention the Harkin name in Iowa and most will recognize it because of Iowa's long-time US Senator and Congressman Tom Harkin. However, Ruth Harkin has an incredible legacy of her own. In fact, she was the first one elected to public office during their marriage. She has been a force since she was a little girl helping and learning alongside her Grandmother in Minnesota. In When My Husband Ran for President and Other Short Stories it's her turn to share lessons, memories, and parts of the lasting influences she has provided her family, Iowans, and the Nation.

My Opinion

3 stars

I'm an Iowan and I have a sister with Down Syndrome so Tom Harkin's impact on my life, especially through his work on the ADA, can't be overstated.  As I grew up the teamwork/counterbalance of Senators Harkin and Grassley was comforting.  

But this book focuses on his wife, whom I wasn't as familiar with but has many accomplishments in her own right.  I picked up a signed copy of this book at Prairie Lights in Iowa City.

It's a niche book that was fine to read but not something I would recommend to a wide audience.  She jumps into stories without backstory, leaving the reader to have to make assumptions and glean details.  I was able to do so because of my familiarity but even I was looking some things up as I read to try and put a timeframe on events that were happening.

I think it's really cool they found a vacation spot so randomly and have been able to make family traditions out of continued visits there.  I also didn't realize Tom Harkin won the caucuses of 3 states and not just Iowa.

I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf

 Book 47 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

 read on June 11

I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider

published 2020

Summary (via the book jacket)

It's no secret, but we are judged by our bookshelves. We learn to read at an early age, and as we grow older we shed our beloved books for new ones. But some of us surround ourselves with books. We collect them, decorate with them, are inspired by them, and treat our books as sacred objects. In I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf, a lighthearted collection of one- and two-page comics, writer/artist Grant Snider explores bookishness in all its forms - the perfect gift for bookworms of all ages.

My Opinion

4 stars

This caught my eye while browsing at the library.  

I'm especially impressed with the illustrations; there was so much variety in the style and everything looked crisp and clean.

Pivot Point

 Book 46 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read on June 8

Pivot Point by Kasie West

published 2013

Summary (via the book jacket)

Addison Coleman's life is one big "What if?" As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It's the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie's parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it's not.

With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she's willing to live through...and who she can't live without.

My Opinion

3 stars

I received this book for Christmas but not the sequel so I waited until I could get Split Second from the library because they were presented as tandem reading.  I'm glad I did because I will jump right into it now that I've finished this.

I read it in a day but that was more from wanting to keep up the pace and see what would happen rather than "I love this and can't put it down".  It felt like the stakes were lower as I was actually reading because I knew it was a Search.  I understand why she made the decision she did at the end but I also think the choice shouldn't have been so agonizing...teens deciding they're in love after a week and all the dramatics that go with it make me roll my eyes.

So it's readable and I want to read the sequel to finish it out but I also have a headache from over-the-top emotion.

The Lying Woods

 Book 45 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from June 2 - 5

The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston

published 2018

Summary (via the book jacket)

Owen Foster has never wanted for anything. Then his mother shows up at his elite New Orleans boarding school cradling a bombshell: His privileged life has been funded by stolen money. After using the family business, the single largest employer in his small Louisiana town, to embezzle millions and drain the employees' retirement accounts, Owen's father vanished without a trace, leaving Owen and his mother to deal with the fallout.

Owen returns to Lake Cane to finish his senior year, where people he hardly remembers despise him for his father's crimes. It's bad enough dealing with muttered insults and glares, but when Owen and his mother receive increasingly frightening threats from someone out for revenge, he knows he must get to the bottom of what really happened at Louisiana Frac...and the cryptic note his father sent him at his boarding school days before disappearing.

Owen's only refuge is the sprawling, isolated pecan orchard he works at after school, owned by a man named Gus who has his own secrets - and in some ways seems to know Owen better than he knows himself. As Owen uncovers a terrible injustice that looms over the same Preacher Woods he's claimed as his own, he must face a shocking truth about his past - and write a better future.

My Opinion

4 stars

I chose this book from the library after reading 10 Truths and a Dare by the same author.  It was a quick read and I was completely shocked by a plot twist.

I will definitely read more from this author.

Murder on Several Occasions

 Book 44 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from April 30 - June 3

Murder on Several Occasions by Jonathan Goodman

published 2007

Summary (via Goodreads)

A new look at some gruesome and riveting murders In this grisly and gripping collection of essays―some revised and updated, some never before published, but all new to American audiences―prize-winning English crime historian Jonathan Goodman turns his attention to a variety of British and American crimes from the 1820s to the 1980s, some high profile and others not. With the author as detective, each of Goodman’s essays examines a particularly notorious murder and subsequent trial. 

He introduces the readers to the 1923 shooting at the Savoy Hotel in London of Prince Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey at the hands of his wife, Madame Marie-Marguerite Fahmy; he revisits the “Crime of the Century,” the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby in March 1932 allegedly by Bruno Richard Hauptmann, and his subsequent execution for this crime, even though this case against Hauptmann has come under scrutiny; and he explores the 1980 serial killings committed by Michele de Marco Lupo, a gay man who coaxed other homosexuals to meet with him, then strangled and savagely bit them. 

Goodman’s careful research and “forensic” work, together with his lively and engaging prose and fascinating subject matter, make these tales of murder a valuable addition to the field of true crime history.

My Opinion

2 stars

I really tried but couldn't get into this read.  I bought it from a little bookstore/cafe downtown and will be donating it immediately.  Maybe a different reader will enjoy it but I was bored and any interest the varied cases might have brought were bogged down by too many words and extra details.

One thing I did find interesting: using feet as a clue in a 1930s body identification.  Her feet were unblemished with no corns and well-trimmed nails, leading them to believe she had some money because they assumed she wore shoes that fit well and could visit a chiropodist regularly.

Arthur and Teddy are Coming Out

 Book 43 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from May 13 - 27

Arthur and Teddy are Coming Out by Ryan Love

published 2024

Summary (via the book jacket)

No one in the family is prepared when 79-year-old Arthur Edwards drops a bombshell: he's gay, and after a lifetime in the closet, he's finally ready to come out.

Arthur's 21-year-old grandson, Teddy, has the same secret. But Teddy doesn't feel ready to come out yet - especially when Arthur's announcement causes shockwaves in the family.

Can Arthur and Teddy navigate first loves, heartbreak, and finding their place in their community?

More importantly, can they - and their family - learn to accept who they truly are?

My Opinion

3 stars

I'm rating this neutrally because I've been very physically and emotionally drained caring for an ill family member for a few weeks now so I really didn't process this book.  On one hand, I found there to be a few too many plot lines, especially when they all wrapped up so neatly.  On the other hand, out of the 3 books I was reading before everything happened, this is the only one I've even picked up during this time so I guess that's worth something.

If I Stopped Haunting You

 Book 42 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from May 12 - 13

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

published 2024

Summary (via the book jacket)

Penelope Skinner made herself a publishing pariah when she literally threw a book at Neil Storm, a bestselling author with a superiority complex. Even worse, she's had writer's block since the incident. So when her friend invites her on a writer's retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. But of course, some things really are too good to be true.

Neil wants nothing to do with the frustratingly adorable woman who unleashed a serious case of self-doubt when she flung a book at him and called his bestseller "a book without a soul." Now all Neil wants is fresh inspiration and to completely avoid her.

As the retreat begins, Pen and Neil find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, a truly shocking (and extremely hot) almost kiss could force them to rethink everything. But if they can't stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to figure out their feelings for each other.

My Opinion

2 stars

I checked this book out from the library on a whim after seeing it on display.  Unfortunately, this was a low 2 stars for me.  

*slight plot spoilers ahead*

I enjoy a good romance trope but there needs to be substance beyond the trope to keep me interested.  Of course they're both going to be on the retreat but also...how were there only 4 people total (meaning it was originally 3 since Pen was a last minute add)?  Did their mutual friend set this whole retreat up to get them together?  And did the 4th person have to be someone she had a one-time hookup with when it wasn't mentioned again at all (it wasn't used for a love triangle or any jealousy)?

The ghost aspect was fine for the plot but again, an unsatisfactory conclusion.  That was some concerning aggression leading to actual injuries which felt out of place in a light book like this.  And I didn't understand what they actually did to make the ghosts happy.

The conversations about publishing and representing your culture were good but again, felt jammed in in this setting.  Very legitimate concerns spanning years of fighting were resolved so quickly.  And apparently people didn't hate her like she thought but she didn't know because she never checked the Internet again?

Last thing, I need a description other than "slick" or "her slickness" to show her desire.  It was way overused.

Now that I'm writing this all out, was this actually a 1 star read for me?  No, it didn't make me angry so I'll keep it at 2.

Old Crimes

 Book 41 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from May 5 - 11

Old Crimes: and Other Stories by Jill McCorkle

published 2024

Summary (excerpt from the book jacket)

Old Crimes delves into the lives of characters who hold their secrets and misdeeds close, even as the past continues to reverberate across generations. And despite the characters' yearnings for connection, they can't seem to tell the whole truth: A woman uses her hearing impairment as a way to guard herself from her husband's commentary. A telephone lineman strains to communicate with his family even as he feels pushed aside in a digital world. A young couple buys a confession booth for fun, only to discover the cost of honesty. A family reunion, ripe with treasured memories and long-held resentments, takes place amid a secret that will alter all of their futures. Throughout, McCorkle takes us deep into these conflicted and sympathetic characters, puzzling to figure out the meaning of their own lives. 

My Opinion

2 stars

I picked this up from the library after seeing it in Bookpage.

The book jacket says the author delivers short stories "as complex as small novels" and that's a good way to describe them.  There was depth and storytelling in each story.

Unfortunately for me, this just didn't hit.  Most of the stories felt too wordy and complex for me and then ones that I did enjoy felt too short.  Either way, jamming so much narrative into short stories doesn't appear to work for me.

A Dying Planet

 Book 40 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from March 17 - April 29

A Dying Planet: Short Stories

My Opinion

2 stars

This series of books from Flame Tree Publishing are the only ones I buy for looks first, content second.  I try to choose ones that will interest me but I've also purchased my top contenders so I have to branch out.  Stories with the theme of a dying planet felt appropriate for the dumpster fire we're currently living in.

This is a collection of 34 stories, some new (this is their first publication) and some old (the oldest was an ancient Egyptian myth from around 1350 bc).  As always, I'll include a little something on each individual story below.  Overall, the collection was not my favorite.  I rated it 2 stars because the stories weren't all duds but I had to force myself to buckle down and just finish the book.

Another ding on the book:  there was a story that continued online but wasn't actually available on their website.  

The first few books I read from this series had some stories that continued online (which I don't like as a feature; the stories should stand alone plus if the story is too long to be printed it shouldn't be included in a book of short stories) so then I started checking ahead of time to skip the stories that weren't complete in the book.  Then the next few books I read didn't have any stories that weren't self-contained so I thought it was something they tried and didn't continue.  So I was tricked.  I don't like stories that continue online but it's worse to have it say it continues online and then not be available.

The Destruction of Mankind

This is an ancient Egyptian myth written in hieroglyphics.  I don't have anything to say about it because it wasn't really a story.

How to Reclaim Water

It was very ironic to read a story about rationing and reclaiming water while the sounds of a thunderstorm play in my headphones to cancel out noise.

The letters back and forth was a good way to tell the story and keep it moving, and I like that there wasn't a meeting or final ending.

The Hollow Journal

"I want to say that the world ended all at once on a perfect Saturday, but we all knew the end was coming for a long time."  Oof, what a line.

This was a lovely story and found pockets of humanity in the little that remained.

Power Grid

I could feel the stifling isolation.

Rainclouds

It's amazing how the shift from assuming they were on Earth to finding out they're not can happen with just a few subtle words.  A lot of death for just a few pages but an optimistic ending.

A Quiet, Lonely Planet

That was lovely.  I didn't realize how invested I was until I found myself rooting for her to back to her "home" and friends instead of leaving for somewhere new.

The Arrow of Time

That had an emotional arc I wasn't expecting in such a short story.  I think about time travel a lot.

Acrylics for a Wasteland

I wanted more of an ending.  The character had a lot of emotion and depth that I wasn't expecting from a survival story.

Milking Time

That was a tough (in a good way) read.  Very visceral and too close to the edge of believability, especially with the world we currently live in.  

The Air Trust

Dangit, I let my guard down and was tricked!  The first few books I read from this series had some stories that continued online which I didn't like so then I started checking ahead of time to skip the stories that weren't complete in the book.  Then the next few books I read didn't have any stories that weren't self-contained so I thought it was something they tried and didn't continue.

Unfortunately, this story continued online.  Worse, it said it continued online and then wasn't actually available on their website.

So I read a "short story" that was 42 pages in the book and wasn't the whole story but now I don't know the end.  That's a bummer of my investment.

And now I have to start checking for incomplete stories again.

The Last Day on Earth

Very short.  I read with trepidation, afraid there would be a twist like "The Mist" or something, and I'm glad that wasn't the case.

Omega: The Last Days of the World

This was an absolute stinker that may weigh the whole book down.  52 pages long, I gave up and skimmed just to see what the comet would actually do.  Too analytical and unemotional to get into.

The House on the Borderland

Too long.  I don't think the story fit the theme of the book, it felt like more of a monster/ghost story.  I know I was skimming but I didn't see the connection to a dying planet at all.

The Rediscovery of Plants

Bleak yet beautiful.

The Sun Takers

Very creative and surprisingly emotional.  I was glad things seemed to level out at the end.

Scream and I'll Come to You

There was a lot packed into this short story and I was fully absorbed.

Mono no aware

My palms were sweaty reading the ending.  It was oddly comforting to read a calm, orderly reaction to chaos.  I loved the line, "It is in the face of disasters that we show our strength as a people."

The Dream of Debs

It's amazing the story was written in 1909.  With a few communication changes I can see the same thing playing out today; people's greed and class warfare hasn't changed.

And Fade Out Again

Typically I would feel more claustrophobic reading a story that takes place underwater but the character's calmness made me comfortable as well.  Unexpected ending.

The End of the World

An interlude of mythology before continuing the book.

Free Air

That read like something from a Twilight Zone episode (or maybe the newer reference would be Black Mirror but I haven't seen it).  A sense of apprehension throughout the whole thing with an extra twist at the end.

A Line Cutting Canvas

An interesting concept.  Even if it's not the assignments they want, I'm glad this society appears to take care of all its members.

What Treasures We Store on Earth

It's sad that the most outlandish part of this story is the great treatment parents get.  Sterilization?  I hope it doesn't happen but I can see it.  Benefits such as housing, food, money, and appreciation for new parents?  Unbelievable.

The Final Chapter of Marathon Mandy

Even with the title giving it away I had hoped her ending would be different.

Communal

I felt like this was a long setup for half a page of explanation at the end.  The increasing paranoia and isolation felt realistic.

Ambassador to the Meek

It felt short but had a good arc.

The Empire of the Necromancers

It's ambitious to write a sci-fi short story because throwing a reader into a completely unfamiliar setting with unusual names can feel very overwhelming.  This story wasn't successful to me because I felt lost the entire time and then it was over.

The Isle of the Torturers

I didn't realize until I finished it that the same author wrote this as the one above but it makes sense because I had the same issues with this one.

Decimate

That had the unsettling feeling I expect from doomsday-type stories.  The randomness of the selection would be the hardest part to live with as you wait your turn.

Whose Waters Never Fail

Strangely uplifting.  It was nice to see little pockets of humanity and love amid very tough conditions.

Two Worlds

It was fine.  These stories are in alphabetical order by author and I may have liked this more at the beginning of the book.  I'm bogged down and ready to be done with this book.

A Martian Odyssey

Other than the constant use of 'queer' as a descriptor for strange things, I wouldn't have known this wasn't written by a contemporary author.

The Time Machine

I'd read this story by H.G. Wells before.  Long but fine.

Black Isle

I wish I had a better understanding of what happened to the animals.

The Lantern of Lost Memories

 Book 39 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from April 20 - 24

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

published 2019

Summary (via the book jacket)

This is the story of the peculiar and magical photo studio owned by Mr. Hirasaka, a collector of antique cameras. In the dimly lit interior, a paper background is pulled down in front of a wall, and in front of it stands a single, luxurious chair with an armrest on one side. On a stand is a large bellows camera. On the left is the main studio: photos can also be taken in the courtyard.

Beyond its straightforward interior, however, is a secret. The studio is, in fact, the door to the afterlife, the place between life and death where those who have departed have a chance - one last time - to see their entire life flash before their eyes via Mr. Hirasaka's "spinning lantern of memories".

We meet Hatsue, a ninety-two-year-old woman who worked as a nursery teacher, the rowdy Waniguchi, a yakuza overseer in his life who is also capable of great compassion, and finally Mitsuru, a young girl who has died tragically at the hands of abusive parents.

Sorting through the many photos of their lives, Mr. Hirasaka offers guests a second gift: a chance to travel back in time to take a photo of one particular moment in their lives that they wish to cherish in a special way.

Full of charm and whimsy, The Lantern of Lost Memories will sweep you away to a world of nostalgia, laughter, and love.

My Opinion

5 stars

Holy. Shit. What a read.

This small, delicate read was just exquisite. I'm typing this review with a lump in my throat as I'm recommending it to everyone in my family.  Although it looks like it took 4 days to read, I started it on the 20th, realized I would need a blank slate of time to read it all at once, and then had that time today.

I never reread books but not only do I want to read this again, I want to do so immediately.  I probably won't be able to recapture the feelings of the reveals along the way but I think there are things that would mean more now that I know what's happening.

Sex Object

 Book 38 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from April 15 - 19

Sex Object by Jessica Valenti

published 2016

Summary (via Goodreads)

Author and Guardian US columnist Jessica Valenti has been leading the national conversation on gender and politics for over a decade. Now, in a darkly funny and bracing memoir, Valenti explores the toll that sexism takes from the every day to the existential. 

Sex Object explores the painful, funny, embarrassing, and sometimes illegal moments that shaped Valenti’s adolescence and young adulthood in New York City, revealing a much shakier inner life than the confident persona she has cultivated as one of the most recognizable feminists of her generation. 

My Opinion

2 stars

What would I be if I lived in a world that didn't hate women?

This question starts the memoir of Jessica Valenti and as the title suggests, it skews heavily to comments, entitlement, and sometimes the actual physically taking of her body by men.  I chose it from a display at the library and when I checked it out the librarian said she was happy I was taking it because apparently the display was to draw attention to books that need circulation or they'll be weeded.

At first I wanted to rate it a neutral 3 stars because I feel like a bad feminist if I don't but then I realized that inflating a rating just because she's writing about important content isn't the move.

You know how sometimes you read a memoir and relate to it so hard?  Or (more often for me) sometimes you read a memoir and don't relate at all but can understand their life based on their writing?  Unfortunately, this was neither for me.  The author and I have had completely different experiences but I struggled to understand her viewpoint because the book felt like it was skimming the surface with occasional bombs of deep reveals.

I did appreciate her unflinching honesty and hope she's found peace in her life.

Faye, Faraway

 Book 37 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from April 2 - 12

Faye, Faraway by Helen Fisher

published 2021

Summary (via the book jacket)

Every night, as Faye puts her daughters to bed, she thinks of her own mother, Jeanie, who died when Faye was eight. The pain of that loss has never left her, and that's why she wants her own girls to know how very much they are loved by her - and always will be, whatever happens.

Then one day, Faye gets her heart's desire when she travels back in time and is reunited not just with her mother but with her own younger self, the little girl she can scarcely remember.

Jeanie doesn't recognize grown-up Faye as her daughter, even though there is something eerily familiar about her. But the two women become close friends and share all kinds of secrets - except for the biggest secret of all, the secret of who Faye really is. Faye worries that telling the truth may prevent her from being able to return to the present day, to her dear husband and beloved daughters. Eventually she'll have to choose between those she loved in the past and those she loves in the here and now, and that knowledge presents her with an impossible choice.

If only she didn't have to make it...

My Opinion

3 stars

I checked this out from the library after seeing it in Bookpage.  Although 10 days passed from when I started to when I finished, that isn't a true representation of the reading.  I probably read it in 2-3 sittings; I read a lot the first day, lost my mind and wasn't reading anything for about a week, and then finished it in a day or two.

I love the concept of time travel and actually think about it a lot.  This book had a really interesting concept.  It stayed in reality more than I usually see for this type of book but trying to have explanations for everything also made it a bit clunky.

I like that it started right away and I was absorbed while reading.  However, it never quite made the jump from "good" to "great" for me and I didn't understand the looping of the ending and how a very big thing that happened in her childhood seemed to cause the time travel yet apparently she time travelled beforehand to make the big thing happen.

So this book felt a bit ambitious but I would read the author again and would love to see her take another pass at this idea.

Manboobs

 Book 36 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from April 2 - 7

Manboobs: A Memoir of Musicals, Visas, Hope and Cake 

by Komail Aijazuddin

published 2024

Summary (via the book jacket)

What do you do when you're too gay for Pakistan, too Pakistani to be gay in America, and ashamed of your body everywhere? How can you find happiness despite years of humiliation, physical danger, and a legion of Brooklyn hipsters who know you only as a queer from Whereveristan? How do you summon the courage to be yourself no matter where you are?

Even as a young child in Lahore, Komail Aijazuddin knew he was different - no one else at his all-boys prep school was pirouetting off their desks, or being bullied for their "manboobs", or spontaneously bursting into songs from The Little Mermaid, Aijazuddin began to believe his only chance at a happy, meaningful life would be found elsewhere: America, the land of the free, the home of the gays. But the hostility of a post-9/11 world and society's rejection of his art, his desires, and his body would soon teach him that finding happiness takes a lot more than a plane ticket. Searching for his place between two worlds while navigating a minefield of expectations, prejudice, and self-doubt, Aijazuddin discovered - sometimes painfully, sometimes hilariously - that there are people and places he'd need to let go of to move forward.

Manboobs is a riotously funny memoir of searching for love, seamlessly blending humor, politics, pop culture, and the bravery required to be yourself. Aijazuddin confidently announces himself as an exciting new voice in humor with his moving and charming reexamination of the American dream and our search for home.

My Opinion

3 stars

Being an effeminate boy is like carrying a bomb only other people can detonate, and I spent most of my childhood hiding the trigger switch from casual arsonists.

The memoir started with a note that it's more "true than real" as he recounts memories and I like that framing.  Although the author moves quickly through his life which could feel a little surface-level, stopping to think about what he's not saying adds an extra layer.  I don't think there's a single demographic he and I share but I appreciated reading his perspective.

Circumstance had deluded me into thinking we were on the 

same side, but the truth was we were only running from the same enemy.

That statement, recounting the lack of intersectionality some of the liberals around him share, stopped me in my tracks.  If this wasn't a library book and I was a highlighting type, that definitely would've been earmarked.

If anyone reading this is interested in the marketing, I checked this book out from the library after reading about it in Bookpage.

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England

 Book 35 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from March 22 - 31

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England

by Brandon Sanderson

published 2023

Summary (via the book jacket)

A man awakens in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts. His only help from the "real world" should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?

My Opinion

3 stars

It's tough to sum up how I feel about this book.  I liked it and it kept my interest but I would also have to put it down often, like I was preventing myself from getting too invested, because I was worried about disappointment.  But the last day of travel was so peaceful and gave me a chance to breathe and enjoy the character development. 

There were so many good elements but also a touch too much of 'oh wow what a coincidence this worked out'.  But I was also really happy about how it worked out so I'm glad those coincidences were there.

Basically I enjoyed it while I was reading it and don't want to overanalyze it now that I'm done because I think it will dampen the experience.  I'm worried the religious themes were preaching because I don't know much about the author and I'd like to remain in the dark about it.